Firms net online awards
Kinlay Hostel in Eyre Square became the first winner of Galway’s Online Marketing Leadership Award at the Online Marketing in Galway Awards for 2014 which were announced at a ceremony in the Town Hall Theatre on Tuesday evening.
Other winners on the night were Topform from Gort for the Best Email Marketing; Spellbinding Music for Best Blog; MyKidsTime.ie for Best Social Media; and Pocket Anatomy for Best Website.
The Dough Bros, the wood-fired mobile pizza oven business, won the People’s Choice Award following energetic campaigns by all contenders which attracted over 6,000 online votes in total.
The event was organised by Online Marketing in Galway, a voluntary group which organises seminars and events throughout the year for anyone interested on online and mobile marketing.
“We felt that there was a need to recognise the achievements and energy which is put into digital marketing in Galway,” said OMiG’s founder Maricka Burke Keogh.
“We see that enthusiasm and innovation every month at our events and thought it deserves a wider audience.”
Over 200 nominations were received across all categories from businesses all over Galway and judging was carried out by a panel of 19 judges, many of them experts in the particular categories. The evening was hosted by digital marketing consultant, Robin Chedgey and included a lively panel discussion with Anthony Quigley of the Digital Marketing Institute, Ciarán Quilty from Facebook and Zara Sheerin from NUI Galway.
Breda Fox of the Local Enterprise Office Galway, formerly the City and County Enterprise Board, was particularly happy to be a main sponsor of the event as many of the nominees were existing or former clients.
“Effective marketing ability is one of the skills most sought by our clients and an area where we devote a lot of resources to helping them,” she said.
Dave Hickey of the Connacht Tribune Group, the other main sponsor of the awards, said that effective marketing – online, offline or on mobile – is key to the success of any business.
“The awards tonight recognise businesses which understand where their markets are and actively seek to engage with them at every opportunity,” he said.
OMiG’s next event is at the end of May – for more information, log on towww.galwaymarketing.ie.